Transformers: Children of Cybertron
by sureshot9593
Summary: In an attempt to preserve their race, Alpha Trion has taken six protoforms to a distant planet in the hopes that they will grow up peacefully. But fate is against him, and these six shall be caught in an epic struggle between good and evil. Witness the awe-inspiring tale through the eyes of the next generation. The children of Cybertron.
1. Chapter 1

Transformers Children of Cybertron  
 _Introduction_  
Cybertron was dead, it was an undeniable truth. These past several millennia of grueling and, at times, pointless war have ravaged the once marvelous empire that had been the home of the most phenomenal creatures in the universe: the transformers. Sentient machines of titanic stature, these monolithic beings possessed the ability to alter their forms to better suit the situation whether for travel or for warfare. However, no amount of adaptive capabilities can surpass the tragedy that had overtaken the transformers' home world.  
In the never-ending battle between the peaceful autobots, led by Zeta Prime, and the evil decepticons, spearheaded by the ferocious Megatron, the precious lifeforce of cybertron, energon, has been depleted wholly and completely. Without this vital resource, cybertron has become a lifeless husk on which no life, not even the non-organic transformers, can survive. Yet still, the mindless warfare continues. Several neutral to the conflict have fled for the sake of survival, though not all escape the decpticons' warp cannons. Should things continue as they are, the transformers as a race will exist no longer.  
However, fortune will come in the form of one autobot, whom, after witnessing the countless battles for so long, will risk all to ensure the survival of his race. This brave transformer's name…is Alpha Trion, the sage of Iacon.

Chapter 1  
Devastation. By definition in any culture, such a word translates to mean great destruction and overwhelming grief. This was the case with that of the planet Cybertron. As far as the eye could see, the once beautiful and shining city of Iacon had been reduced to smoldering ruins. This was the sight beheld by Alpha Trion, perhaps the oldest cybertronian in existence. He was one of the few of his race to possess a beard; nothing spectacular, but it spoke volumes of his age. He also wore a heavy cloak to hide his withered body. When the war began, the elder had taken refuge in his library so that he would remain neutral, though he still flew autobot colors. During his isolation, his body had begun to wither and rust, and it had only gotten worse when the energon reserve towers had been destroyed.  
Megatron, that gluttonous tyrant! Alpha Trion thinks to himself.  
What purpose did it serve him to destroy the last fleeting amounts of energon the planet had? Surely he did not think that the planet would survive long enough to build his new decepticon empire.  
He sighed. It was too late now, either way. Cybertron was doomed, and there was nothing that could be done to undo the damage. Evacuation was the only option now, though there still remained some obstacles.  
First was the aforementioned Megatron. At one time a gladiatorial champion, the brute of a bot had gone against the caste system and sought to "return Cybertron to its golden age" through brute force and placing sole dominion upon himself. It was a ludicrous claim that brought him thousands of followers, as well as bolstered his already horrendous ego and pride. Megatron had already established that no one would leave the planet, and he had backed up this declaration by shooting down all ships fleeing the planet with warp cannons, powerful weapons that fired negatively charged ions at Mach 6 speeds. It was barbaric, but unquestionably effective.  
The next obstacle was actually unexpected; it was the autbot leader, Zeta Prime. As in accordance to the book of Primus, the basic structure from which all of cybertron's laws were founded, a prime was to be erected to act as the governing force for Cybertron. The last prime had been Solas Prime, sometimes referred to as the thirteenth prime. He had been a kind and benevolent ruler, and he had used the wisdom of his ancestors well. However, when he had passed, the matrix of leadership, the artifact through which all primes were chosen, had gone dark and silent. In a panic, a council of elders had been scrambled, and a new Prime was selected. Zeta was the selected prime, but it had been proven to be a poor choice. He had been the one to form a caste system as opposed to the republic that had been in place for countless eons. It was this very caste system that had spawned this war in the first place, and how did Zeta respond? He formed a draft and built an army of autobots to combat the, as he had put it, "traitorous scum that dares to oppose the will of the primes". Even now, Trion had to roll his optics at how ridiculous the statement was. It was the reason he had gone into his self-imposed exile in the first place. Zeta possessed a pride that rivaled, if not surpassed, that of Megatron's, which was saying something. Zeta refused to back down from Megatron's assault, and he would rather die than allow the decpticons victory even if it costed all life on cybertron. However, he was perhaps the best bet at Alpha Trion's plans actually working. All he needed was a ship. One small, solitary cargo vessel.  
So that's why he was making his way through the Iacon ruins at this time, his sights set on the autobot headquarters. It was his good fortune that the war had moved from this particular part of the city, so he had little to worry about as far as a stray decepticon soldier wishing to add another kill to his belt. Therefore, he made it to the autobot base without difficulty. As he approached the main gates, he found them guarded by a trio of flyers, the head of which was a white and red mech by the name of Jetfire. Beside him was his sister Jetstorm, a blue femme with yellow highlights, and his best friend, also the largest of the aerialbots sqaudron, Silverbolt. They stiffened at his approach, but then quickly relaxed when they saw who it was.  
"Greetings, elder." Jetfire said as he placed a fist to his chest.  
"Till all are one!"  
Alpha Trion did a similar salute.  
"Till all are one! Forgive my intrusion, brave warriors, but I must speak with Zeta Prime. It is of the utmost urgency."  
The three fliers exchanged glances, and Jetfire looked back to Alpha Trion.  
"I mean you no insult, Elder Alpha Trion, but I am not sure that we can let you do that. I mean, you haven't really been active during the war, and Zeta Prime is busy enough as it is with the war effort."  
"My choices are my own, young mech." Alpha Trion said resolutely.  
"And I do not have to explain them to anyone, not even to a prime. Also, if our race is to survive this madness, then Zeta must listen to what I have to say. Now step aside."  
Jetfire frowned, but he decided not to argue. After all the trouble he must have went through to get here, Alpha Trion at least deserved refuge within the base. He stepped to one side and ordered his colleagues to do likewise. Alpha Trion walked briskly past and into the structure. Where there was once silence, sound immediately stormed its way into Alpha Trion's auditory sensors. As far as the eye could see, autobots of every make, model, and gender were busily at work with their respective jobs and duties. Amongst them was, to Alpha Trion, a familiar face. It was a red and blue mech working tirelessly with a holographic notepad. Even though he had undergone modifications to ensure his survival in the war, Alpha Trion could still easily pick out the former Iacon clerk and his best student.  
"Orion Pax!" he called out, waving his hand to gain the bot's attention. The mech looked up and locked eyes with the elder. His optics widened, and a large smile etched its way across his faceplate. He immediately dropped the notepad and rushed over to him, grasping Alpha Trion's hand in a firm handshake.  
"Master! It is good to see you again. It has been far too long."  
"Undoubtedly." Alpha Trion said, his own smile larger than Orion's.  
"I see you have been busy since your days as a clerk. Hopefully, you haven't been neglecting your studies for the sake of violence.  
"Never." Orion said with a shake of his head.  
"My place will always be on the side of peace and prosperity. I'm hardly a warrior anyway. I mostly act as a supervising analyst around the base, though I have seen my share of combat."  
He frowned.  
"It…isn't something I'm proud of."  
Alpha Trion nodded in understanding, and he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.  
"You are a good bot, Orion Pax. A rarity amongst the common. Never doubt what you are capable of, for your destiny will be far greater than all that stand in this building. You can rest easy on that."  
Orion Pax grinned.  
"I highly doubt that, but it is still good to see you again, old friend. Why have you come?"  
"I have business with Zeta Prime." Apha Trion replied.  
"You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"  
Orion nodded and pointed towards a flight of stairs leading to a door.  
"That leads to the war room." he explained.  
"He's in a meeting with Perceptor and Ironhide."  
Alpha Trion nodded to him in thanks, and he made his way up the stairs. The door slid open to reveal a large circular room. In its center was a table projecting a holographic image of the city of Kaon, the decepticon capital. Standing over the table were three bots. The first was completely red with a long cylinder-shaped telescope mounted on his right shoulder: the autobot scientist and chief advisor to the primes, Perceptor. Standing on the other side was another red bot that was older and had clearly seen much battle. His chassis was covered in several scratches, holes, and other sorts of war wounds. However, he still stood fresh as a cadet, and he wielded a humble sort of pride befitting a proud warrior such as him: the autobot lieutenant and war advisor, Ironhide. The last and tallest of them was a blue and bronze mech of considerable strength, and his helmet was fashioned like that of a crown: the autobot leader, Zeta Prime.  
Alpha Trion's entrance distracted them from their current conversation, and it was clear that there would be tension the instant the elder and the prime locked eyes. Perceptor looked between them and gulped. In an attempt to diffuse possible hostilities, he stepped and greeted the elder.  
"Salutations, Alpha Trion. I am glad to see that you still function. How have you been?"  
Alpha Trion shook his hand, but he did not reply. Instead, he stepped past him and made his way over to Zeta Prime. The autobot leader glared at him fiercely, but said nothing. Perceptor shifted uncomfortably and looked to Ironhide for some sort of support. The warrior bot merely gave his head a shake, a sign that they should allow things to pass as they would. Alpha Trion stood before the Prime, his gaze piercing and cold which Zeta matched. The two said nothing for a long, painstaking moment as Ironhide and Perceptor trembled in the uncertainty. At last, Zeta Prime spoke.  
"I hope you have come to apologize." he stated coldly.  
"For one who carries our colors and claims to believe in our cause, you certainly have been lax in lending us support in the war."  
Alpha Trion didn't even flicker an optic, though deep inside he withheld a terrible urge to strike the autobot leader.  
"You know my position on fighting, Zeta." he said firmly.  
"I am not a warrior, and I never intend to change this fact for any reason. As for lending support to your cause, I do not recall ever sealing off my library so that its records could never be used. You've had full access to that, Zeta. You have just refused to utilize this commodity."  
He folded his arms across his chest.  
"So, no, I did not come to apologize; I am by no means remorseful of my actions. My one and only purpose for coming to see you is so that I may propose a means to ensure the survival of our people as a species. Nothing more, nothing less."  
Zeta was visibly shaking with outrage, his optics shining bright. However, given the circumstances, the idea of a plan for survival could be useful as well as beneficial to his own purposes. Morale had been relatively low, lately, ever since the destruction of the energon reserves. The table sunk into the floor as the room shifted. There were now four chairs, where each autobot took a seat. Sitting in the chair parallel to Alpha Trion, Zeta Prime fixed him with a skeptical look.  
"Now then, Elder, what manner of plan is this? Some ancient strategy our ancestors had used?"  
Alpha Trion shook his head.  
"Hardly. My plan is much less barbaric."  
He produced a small disk with a clear, glass-like center. He held it flat in his palm and then pressed a button with his thumb. The device lit up to reveal a hologram revealing six capsules, inside of each were strange, formless, silver figures. Ironhide's optics brightened in shock, and he had to wipe on them just to be sure he wasn't seeing things.  
"Perceptor. Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"  
The autobot scientist slowly nodded.  
"Protoforms. The basic building blocks of all cybertronian life. I had believed that they had all been exterminated when Zeta Prime had been forced to shut Vector Sigma down. It had certainly been one of the darker days in our history."  
Zeta Prime huffed, but he said nothing.  
"Indeed," Alpha Trion continued.  
"What you are looking at could quite possibly be the last cybertronians ever born from Vector Sigma. I had discovered them by mistake when I was searching for Energon one day. You can imagine my own shock when I discovered just one of them, let alone all six. I straightway brought them to my library to care for them, but I lacked the necessary amount of energy to form their bodies and personalities."  
"Then that is why you have come?" Zeta Prime asked, his tone carrying the same chill as his stare.  
"You wish for us to grant you what little energon we have so that you may give them life?"  
"Correct, or, at least, that is part of my plan." Alpha Trion said. He laced his fingers together, and he took a deep breathe.  
"The remainder, however, you may not be so fond of."  
He rose to his feet and looked Zeta Prime squarely in the optics.  
"Zeta, it is time that we all faced the facts. Cybertron is dead, and, without energon, there is no possible hope to restore it to its original state. Therefore, with that being said, our chief concern must be to the survival of our race, or all that have died, be they autobots or decepticons, will have thrown away their lives for nothing. Which brings me to the final part of my plan. Not only do I need energon, but I require a shuttle as well. I am taking these protoforms off world so that maybe, just maybe, our people may live on in these six protoforms. That is why I have come to you. Thus, I conclude with this one question. Will you grant me what I need, or not?"  
The room immediately became uncomfortably silent. Ironhide and Perceptor were both sharing concerned looks, and each held their own opinion on the elder's proposal. For Perceptor, it was the most logical action to take. Even a cybertronian with a malfunctioning processor could tell you that Cybertron wouldn't last long with Vector Sigma disabled and the energon reserves destroyed. If it was possible to find another planet with energon, then colonization was the only possible chance for survival, and, with six new protoforms, that was a splendid way to start. With Ironhide, whom had been a warrior and a soldier for far longer than he dared to recall, the last thing he wanted to do was call it quits. Even when the energon reserves had been destroyed, he had entertained the tiniest hope that, maybe, the autobots could turn things around. But even he knew that such thoughts were wishful thinking. No, this was probably the best way for their kind to survive, even if Cybertron did not. However, the final vote rested on Zeta Prime himself. All optics turned to the blue mech, and they all waited quietly for his answer. Zeta continued to glare at Alpha Trion, and it was becoming pointedly clear that he did not like, nor approved of, Alpha Trion's counsel. He slammed his palms against the armrests of his chair and bolted to his feet.  
"Never in all my years have I ever heard such belligerent nonsense! What's more, I never pegged you as a traitor, Alpha Trion!"  
"Traitor?!" the elder bellowed, also rising to his feet.  
"I have committed no form of treason. My only intentions are set upon the preservation of our race, and you call that treachery?"  
Zeta Prime glared at him.  
"You would dare abandon Cybertron in our darkest hour? What's more, you would dare to keep six possible soldiers from my sight? Your Prime?"  
That did it. Alpha Trion shoved the autobot leader back into his seat.  
"You have never been a proper prime! You place your pride before the lives of the very people that you were placed over! It was you that destroyed our republic and formed that blasted caste system that started this war in the first place! Yet you dare call me the traitor to Cybertron after all the "belligerent nonsense" _you_ have released upon us? If you want my personal opinion…"  
Suddenly, Zeta Prime erupted to his feet and stuck Alpha Trion, sending him to the floor.  
"I do not!"  
He looked to Ironhide.  
"Take him to the detention cells. I shall deal with him personally at a later date."  
Ironhide frowned and looked to Perceptor for support. The autobot scientist was equally at a loss, as was proven by his uncertain shrug. By this time, Zeta Prime's patience had worn away.  
"I gave you an order, soldier! Carry it out, not!"  
Ironhide quickly obeyed. He grabbed Alpha Trion and propped him onto his shoulder and made his way out of the war room.  
"As for you!" Zeta continued as he jabbed his finger at Perceptor.  
"You are to scour all of Iacon until you find those protoforms! I want them online and programed before the next solar cycle. Am I understood?"  
Perceptor nodded vigorously and then fled. By the time he skidded to a stop, he found himself in the safety of the autobot surveillance wing. He released a sigh he hadn't realized he was holding, and he then leaned against a support beam as he allowed himself to recover. Zeta Prime was indeed an intimidating bot, for friend and foe alike. Assaulting his pride was worse than assaulting his body, and his vengeance was worse than cosmic rust.  
"I wonder if the decepticons have the same problem with their leader." he queried to himself.  
He flinched with the door slid open again, expecting to the see his near psychotic leader walk in, but he let his gears slow down when he saw that it was only a surprised and somewhat shocked Orion Pax.  
"Perceptor, what is happening?" the former clerk queried.  
"We all could hear Zeta Prime's shouting from all the way in the barracks. Also, where was Ironhide taking Alpha Trion?"  
Perceptor took a deep breathe, and he straightened.  
"I am sorry to tell you this, my friend, but I am afraid that Alpha Trion has been branded as a traitor."  
Orion's reaction was expected by the autobot scientist. First a look of great shock, followed by obvious outrage.  
"Traitor? Alpha Trion? Ridiculous! Utter nonsense, as a matter of fact! There is none more dedicated to the preservation of cybertronian culture, and what's more he is a bot of peace!"  
"Orion, calm yourself!" Perceptor scolded as he warily watched the surrounding bots for listeners.  
"It is like this, Orion. Apparently, if you can believe it, Alpha Trion has found six protoforms. Only moments ago, he had made a proposition to Zeta Prime to take the six offworld for the sake of preserving cybertronians as a species. Zeta Prime saw this as an act of cowardess and treason, and he has thus declared for Alpha Trion to be locked away and for me to find the protoforms. I am sorry if this upsets you. Truthfully, I somewhat agreed with the idea. Though I am still faithful to the cause, even I know that we need some sort of backup plan, especially with our dwindling supply of energon. Sadly, Zeta Prime does not think so."  
Orion's fists were clenched tightly with justified indignation. For a while now, he had questioned Zeta Prime as a leader, but this was the final straw. He turned and began to make his way out, but Perceptor stopped him by taking him by the shoulder.  
"Orion, please do not do anything rash. I understand that Alpha Trion means everything to you. He has been a father figure to you, and he has been a wise mentor for you to learn under. But this is the orders of a prime you are seeking to stand against. One false move, and you would likewise be called a traitor."  
Orion shrugged off Perceptor's hand, and he shot him a glare that caused the autobot scientist to step back. There were few instances that Perceptor was ever surprised; the fact that a simple clerk with little to no history of violent behavior could give him such an icy, ferocious glare promised to top all other experiences, and Perceptor began to feel he had made a mistake in stopping him. Orion turned back to face him, and his glare only seemed to intensify.  
"I am sorry, old friend." Orion said, his voice calm but firm.  
"But I can never be led to believe that Alpha Trion is a traitor. He was even the steward of Solas Prime, our current prime's predecessor. There is none that loves this world more than he."  
With that said, Orion made his way for the door, and he briskly stepped out. In the place where he had been, there was only silence, and Perceptor could only wonder just what would happen next.

Alpha Trion was slowly starting to rouse, and he could feel himself being dragged. His optics blared to life, and he looked up to see Ironhide holding him right side up with his hands bound. It slowly dawned on him just what was happening, and he began to thrash around in an attempt to escape the larger bot's grip. Ironhide proved, however, to be far too strong.  
"Ease off, elder!" he grunted as he tried to hold him still.  
"I don't want to have to hurt you!"  
"Release me!" Alpha Trion demanded, kicking against Ironhide and doing everything he could to escape.  
"You cannot do this, Ironhide! Zeta will not give those protoforms any choice. They deserve a chance to choose for themselves how they live their lives."  
Ironhide had to fumble around a bit to keep his grip, but he managed to keep Alpha Trion in place.  
"Not that I don't agree," he said.  
"But he is the prime. I have no choice but to do what he says. My hands are tied."  
"Then allow me to sever your bonds!"  
Ironhide whirled around, but he was only met with a powerful blow to his faceplate. He was knocked back into the wall, and he slowly slumped to the ground and fell into a forced power down cycle. Alpha Trion quirked a brow in confusion, and he looked up. There stood none other than Orion Pax, his own student, wielding a photon axe. What had happened, it seemed, was that Orion had snuck up behind Ironhide and stuck him with the blunt end of the axe. It somewhat surprised the elder that the smaller clerk had actually managed to knock him out. Orion lent out his hand and helped his teacher to his feet.  
"There is not much time, Alpha Trion." Orion insisted.  
"We must make haste to the Iacon library before Perceptor can find the protoforms. Follow me!"  
He started down the hall in a sprint, and Alpha Trion reluctantly followed. They raced past several confused transformers, but neither paid them any mind as they made their way into the hangar. Waiting for them was one small freighter, which Orion proceeded to man and warm up the engines. As Alpha Trion ran up the ramp, he looked back to see a squad of autobots led by Zeta Prime burst into the hangar. The two of them looked right at one another, and Alpha Trion could see murder in the Prime's eyes. He ran into the ship just as the autobots opened fired, and Orion pushed forward on the accelerator. The engines blared to life, and the ship rocketed through the hangar doors and into Cybertron's skies. Zeta Prime followed them for a short distance on foot, and he snarled angrily as he came to a stop, unable to do anything but watch as they receded from view.  
"This act of treason will not be tolerated." he growled under his breathe before whirling to his soldiers.  
"Assemble the aerialbots to track them down! I want them strung up by their energon tubes! Go!"  
Autobots scrambled in all directions, and Zeta Prime transformed and took off in pursuit of his quarry. As for the two fleeting transformers, Orion set the ship down just outside of the Iacon library. He and his teacher then proceeded to step out of the freighter and into the library. Orion had to pause as he stepped into the old structure. In a past life, he had acted as the head clerk, spending his days peacefully sifting through the ancient history of cybertron and passing it on to any and all that walked inside. But those days were long since passed, and now there was only the present and the task at hand. To Orion's surprise, the stasis pods containing the protoforms were sitting just behind the front desk.  
"You did not hide them?" he asked his teacher as they took up the first pod.  
"I was perhaps too hopeful when I had left earlier." Alpha Trion said sheepishly. They quickly loaded the first five pods, and they were finally ready for the final pod.  
"I meant to ask before." Orion said as he picked up his side of the pod.  
"Once we're airborne again, how will we get past the decepticon warp canons? Megatron has made it well too clear that none are to leave the planet."  
"And it is not an empty threat." Alpha Trion said.  
"Fortunately, I have formulated a method to get past them. I have designed a special frequency that will make the ship virtually invisible to the canons, as well as any decepticon seekers patrolling the atmosphere. If fortune is with me, then the decepticons will not even know that I have even gone by. Just as soon as we load up this last one, we can…"  
"TRION!"  
The elder whirled about, and he could see a massive truck bearing down on them. Acting quickly, he shoved the stasis pod forward, and both it and Orion were knocked into the freighter's cargo hold. Unfortunately for Alpha Trion, the truck collided with him head on, and he was sent flying. He crashed with a heavy thud against a pile of rubble, and the truck transformed to reveal Zeta Prime wielding a large broadsword. The angry prime thrust forward, driving the blade through Alpha Trion's chest, pinning him to the ground and causing him to cry out. Zeta pressed the blade down harder, his face mired with crazed anger and malice.  
"You've crossed the line this time, old fool." he hissed.  
"I was actually considering to just keep you in the detention cells for the rest of your meager existence, but instead I'm just going to extinguish your spark right here and now!"  
Alpha Trion struggled vainly from his spot on the ground, but, with the sword driven through him, there was no getting away.  
"You act like a spoiled child, Zeta!" he shouted angrily, clawing at the sword.  
"When things do not go your way, you lash out at the first bot within range. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, and that right extends even to protoforms. They deserve to lead their own lives and decide their own fates. Not to be dragged into a war they may want no part of."  
"I decide who is to do what!" Zeta Prime snarled.  
"I was the one elected prime, not you. I am the most powerful of all the autobots, and by that right I rule!"  
Alpha Trion snorted.  
"If power were all that mattered, then how is Megatron a criminal? Face it, Zeta. You are no better than the decepticons you seek to destroy, and in the end you will only bring yourself to your own demise."  
Zeta withdrew his sword with a quick thrust, this time aiming his blade at Alpha Trion's head.  
"The only demise that will be met today will be yours, you old fool. Goodbye!"  
He thrust forward for one final blow, but his sword was knocked off course by the swipe of a large axe. Orion had finally recovered from being shoved, and now he stood with Proton axe in hand to defend his teacher. Zeta's outrage had been rekindled, and he glared heatedly at the young mech.  
"Well, isn't this a surprise. Stand down, clerk. I would rather that I not spill the energon of a bot that might actually be useful."  
Orion said nothing, leveling his axe and narrowing his stoic gaze upon the prime.  
"I gave you an order, welp! Obey your prime!"  
Orion remained mute. He gave his mentor a quick look, noting the leaking energon and weakened body. Memories of better days flashed through Orion's mind as he recalled a stronger, but every bit as wise Alpha Trion, and all the lessons he had taught him in regards to truth, valor, and honor. He took a deep breathe, and then looked back to Zeta prime. When he spoke, it was swiftly, but firm.  
"You are no prime."  
Then, like a canon, Orion exploded forward, smashing into Zeta Prime with great force. Zeta went rolling across the ground, but he quickly recovered, swiping his sword across Orion's chest. Orion stepped back and blocked the following blow with his axe, then countered. He swung his axe hard, breaking through Zeta's defense and hooked onto the autobot leader's shoulder. Orion then flipped onto his back, using the momentum to swing Zeta over to the side. He then rolled back to his feet and swung his axe downward. Zeta quickly rolled aside, the blow of the axe cracking the ground where he had been. Having had enough, the prime lashed out, and Orion blocked. The two were now at a stalemate, one pressing against the other as they tried to gain the upper hand against each other.  
"Surrender!" Zeta demanded.  
"You have no chance against me. You are just a common clerk. You are nothing!"  
Orion grunted under the strain, the joints in his knees whining in protest. Just then, he heard the sound of cracking, and he glanced down towards the ground. The spot where Orion's axe had struck had extended, and it slowly dawned on Orion that the old supports of the street were starting to give way. He tossed one last look at Alpha Trion. The elder was back on his feet and clutching his chest, his face betraying a mixture of personal agony and great fear extending to his pupil. Orion looked away and bowed his head. There was only one choice at this point. With a mighty heave, he knocked Zeta Prime back just enough for an opening, and then slammed the edge of his axe into the ground. There was a deafening crunch, and suddenly the ground beneath the two began to give way.  
"Orion!" Alpha Trion exclaimed.  
He rushed to snatch him away, but it was already too late. The ground had opened its maw, and both Orion and Zeta Prime vanished into the crevice. Alpha Trion stopped short when he reached the edge, and he peered down, hoping for just one final glance. But, alas, there was nothing but darkness. The abyss reached down far beyond what Alpha Trion could see, and there was no telling if Orion had even survived. Sorrow began to overwhelm Alpha Trion, and it was a pain that surpassed even his wounds. However, he had little time to mourn. The sound of jet engines told him that the aerialbots were closing in, and if he didn't take off now there would be no escape. Thus, with a heavy spark, he rushed back to the freighter. After securing the final bod and ensuring that his signal dampener was functional, Alpha Trion pressed forward on the accelerator and was airborne again. He pulled up a monitor that showed him what was behind him, and he could see Silverbolt touching down, unaware that the elder had taken off. Alpha Trion switched off the monitor and checked his instruments. It seemed his signal dampener was working, but he wouldn't be certain until he had gotten past the planet's atmosphere. He took a deep breath and secured himself tightly into his chair. With one last glance down upon Iacon, the once glorious, shining city he had had great pride in calling home, he ignited the afterburner, and he was propelled faster forward. Though the strain of the mounting g-forces, Alpha Trion almost expected a hail of energy blasts from the decepticon warp canons. He was ascending higher and higher, nearly breaking past the last sphere of atmosphere. There was a sudden lurch as the ship broke through, and then it was over. Alpha Trion reengaged the monitor, and his spark nearly gave out with relief. The warp canons had not fired, and it didn't even seem that any decepticon seekers were tailing him. He had done it. He had escaped. A part of him wanted to celebrate in some small way in the wake of this victory, but only bitterness was found in the place of joy. For Alpha Trion and the protoforms to escape, a brave and honorable warrior had given his life. Orion's sacrifice weighed heavily on Alpha Trion's spark, and, in spite of his beliefs, he could only feel regret. However, the time to turn back had well been passed. Now, the only direction he could go was forward.  
"Primus, have mercy on my spark." he whispered silently in prayer.  
"And Orion…thank you."  
The tiny freighter continued on into the inky darkness of space, Cybertron slowly receding from view until it completely vanished from sight. Where they would go, Alpha Trion couldn't be sure, and as for the matter of their fate…that was an even bigger mystery.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Time seemed to become nonexistent as Alpha Trion's ship sailed its way across the stars. Through countless star systems, his faithful vessel continued to travel forward without fail. As for Alpha Trion himself, he wasn't looking so good. He unfortunately lacked any medical supplies onboard the ship save for some energon repair kits designed for minor injuries, and his wounds were anything but minor. He sat in the pilot's seat and carefully applied another energon cube to his open chest. His internal repair systems seemed to speed up for just one moment, but it still had little to no major effect. He groaned as another wave of pain ran through him.

"This isn't working. At this rate, I'm not going to live long enough to land this ship."

With great effort, he got to his feet and made his way to the back of the freighter where the stasis pods remained. He looked them over and even set a hand on the one that he had first found. He took a deep breathe, the action causing him a small amount of pain.

"They must be preserved." he said.

"No matter what it costs. I know what I must do."

He made his way back to his pilot's chair and checked his instruments carefully. He entered a series of commands and coordinates into the computer. It was risky, and the chances for survival were almost nonexistent, but he had long since exhausted his resources. Setting the autopilot to the proper parameters, he moved over to a console on the wall and removed its outer covering, exposing the inner wires. He began to disconnect them and then attacked them to his own spark chamber.

"My body will not survive," he said to himself.

"But that will not matter. As long as there is light within my spark, I will continue to watch over these children."

He slumped up against the wall as the light within his chest began to slowly dim. Raising his head for one last time, he looked out the window and into the galaxy around him. As though the universe were wishing to honor him with a resplendent sight. It was a small blue planet that revolved around a brilliant yellow sun. The planet was not alone in its orbit, as there was seven other planets in the solar system. However, as strange as it seemed, this one, tiny planet seemed to draw his attention more than the others. His gaze remained locked upon it as he felt the last of his systems begin to shut down. Just as he felt himself slip away, three final words eased their way out of his mouth.

"It is…beautiful."

…

There is no way to know for sure just how long the ship sailed through space, but the ship had been making slow progress to that particular planet. After an uncertain amount of time, the ship had at last entered the planet's atmosphere. Unfortunately, with no one to manually control the ship, the vessel had a shaky entrance and was now careening to the surface. Certain emergency functions immediately activated as the ship cleared the atmosphere, but it did little to slow the now flaming comet of a ship. It came down upon a forest, scattering trees in all directions and forced the local wildlife to flee. The ship continued to scrape across the ground as it came into the view of the base of a mountain. The ship collided with the mountain base with a mighty crash, and then all was still. The ship had been silenced, and it would never be able to fly again. There was no movement from the ship. Only silence.

Inside, the ship was in every bit as much disarray as the outside. Everything had been jostled around, and there was a gaping hole in one side. The cargo hold had also sustained damage, and the stasis pods had been knocked loose from the magnetic fastenings that kept them connected to the wall. For a moment, nothing happened, and all remained still and quiet. Then, there came a beep from one of the pods on the floor, and then its hatch opened with a hiss. A silver hand reached out and grasped the side of the pod. With a little difficulty, the figure inside pulled himself out of the pod and onto the floor. The metallic figure struggled to its feet, and he looked about. He couldn't see very well in the dark room, but he could make out a few faint shapes. The figure sat down on the floor and took a moment to think. Absently, he placed his hand to his throat, and he felt something inside of himself stir and there was a distinct buzz coming from somewhere in his head.

"S-s-sureshot."

He froze, astounded that he had spoken. Sureshot. The word seemed distinctive, like it applied to him. What was it that made it important to him? Was it his name?

"I-I am…S-sureshot."

His own voice surprised him, but he was growing accustomed to it. He got back to his feet, and he looked at the objects on the floor. One appeared to be pinned down by a beam of some sort, and he knew he couldn't lift it. The one to his right, however, was still leaning against the wall, though it was laying horizontally across the floor. He walked over to inspect it, but he immediately jumped back when it hissed and the hatch flipped open. Steam started to billow from inside, and he stalked over to look inside. He couldn't see anything through the steam, and he was about to leave it alone when suddenly a hand shot up into the air and latched around his throat. Started and horrified beyond all reckoning, he began to backpedal away with the hand still attached to his throat. The rest of his attacker's body came flying out of the thing, and they both ended up on the floor. The two of them rolled for a couple of minutes before Sureshot finally shoved him off. The second figure looked a bit like him. Its body was sleek and silver, though he appeared to be shorter and more streamlined. The figure gave his head a shake, and then he glared at Sureshot.

"Hey! What's the big idea, you jerk?"

Sureshot was at a loss for words. He did his best to collect himself, and he tried to muster up a glare.

"I c-could ask you the same thing. Why did you attack me?"

The smaller figure made a face.

"Attack you? iYou/i attacked me! All I was trying to do was pull myself up, and then you just roll me around and throw me into a wall."

Sureshot found himself feeling a bit sheepish.

"Well…you grabbed me by the throat, and I panicked. I'm genuinely sorry for throwing you. I'm Sureshot."

The figure gave him a skeptical look, and then he shrugged.

"Eh, I probably woulda done the same thing, so no biggee. I'm Switchblade."

Just then, Switchblade paused.

"Wait a tic. I know my name, but that's it. I don't know anything else!"

"I have the same problem." Sureshot said.

"The only thing I know is my name. I don't even know where we are."

Switchblade looked around the area, and then he got to his feet.

"Well, we can't just sit around doing nothin'. Let's look around and see if…"

Suddenly, a loud banging sound caused the two to freeze with fright. The banging persisted, and Sureshot swiveled his head towards where the beam was. Just then, something clicked in his head, and it seemed like his eyes were starting to jut out of his head. His hand instinctively went to his face, but, to his surprise, nothing was out of the ordinary. He removed his hand, and he realized that his eyes weren't moving out of his head. They were somehow increasing his range of sight. He squinted slightly, and he could see another one of the pods. The pod was pinned on the beam, and the outer glass section was facing the floor. Perhaps it was a trick of the dim light, but he was certain that he saw a hand banging on what part of the glass.

"Hey, Switchblade." he began, calling his comrade over.

"I think…I think someone is in there."

Switchblade frowned, and he looked to the beam and pod.

"Hmm. Do you really think so?"

The banging suddenly increased, and then…

"bGET ME OUT OF THIS THING!/b"

Switchblade and Sureshot immediately got to work. They started lifting up on the beam as the being inside pounded harder on the glass. After a few minutes of struggling, the two backed away to compose themselves.

"It's no good." Switchblade said.

"It's wedged too tightly against the walls. You'd have to be a titan in order to remove that thing."

Sureshot scowled and studied the beam carefully.

"There has got to be some sort of structural weak point we can exploit. If we were just a bit stronger…"

"Uh, perhaps I can help."

The two froze, and it slowly dawned on them that someone, or something, was towering over them. Very slowly, they turned around, and they jumped in shock at the sight of a massive being. He also had a shiny metal skin like theirs, but he was clearly much stronger if the width of his limbs were any indicator. His yellow eyes shined on them like beacons, and the two seemed to shrink within his gaze. Sureshot was the first to finally regain his nerve and stepped forward.

"We could use a hand, and you definitely got a large one. Think you can do something about this beam?"

The bigger fellow observed the beam carefully, and then he walked over to the spot furthest to the left. He placed one hand on top of the beam, and the other hand underneath. With a grunt, he started to push down with the upper hand and up with the lower hand, and then, with a crunch, the beam began to bend. The end of the beam scraped its way up the wall until it had cleared off, forming a crude V-shape on the beam. The newcomer pulled it away from the top of the pod and then set it on the floor before rolling the pod around and onto its back. No sooner had he let it go did the glass cover lift up, followed by a small figure jumping out. This one was much smaller than the other three, and it had a much slimmer frame as opposed to the others. Something seemed to click in Sureshot's mind, and it occurred to him that this one was female while he, Switchblade, and the bigger fellow were male. The female was lying flat on her back and venting heavily as she tried to calm herself down. She cast a weary gaze towards the bigger fellow, and she smiled at him.

"Thanks." she croaked.

"I really, really don't like being cramped in dark places."

The big fellow grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"No problem. I-I'm Loader."

"And I am Featherdancer." the female said.

Switchblade coughed for attention.  
"Let me take a wild guess. Neither of you know how you know your own names, right?"

Loader nodded, and Featherdancer sat up.

"It just seems natural to know." the female said.

"I don't really understand it.

"Me neither." Loader said.

"But I think Jury-rig may know."

A silence seemed to fill the room as all eyes turned to Loader. The big fellow began to shift uncomfortably from the attention as he scanned their faces.

"What? What did I say?"

Switchblade glared at Loader.

"Seriously? There's another person in here?"

Loader nodded.

"Yeah. Follow me."

He started off down the hall, and the other three followed suit. As they went, Loader explained that he had woke up in the middle of the hall, even pointing out his pod as they passed it, and that he had seen a light. He pointed ahead, and sure enough there was a light at the end of the hall. They soon found themselves in a much larger room. There was a large glass window at the front of the room, but all it revealed was a wall of stone. There was also a chair in the center of a room and a screen was hanging just in front of it. That was the source of light. Loader stepped forward and he coughed for attention.

"Jury-rig, I'm back! You were right; there were more."

The figure in the chair didn't bother to turn, and they could hear beeping coming from the other side.

"Told you so. Are any of them injured?"

Loader shook his head.

"We're all intact. Have you figured out how we got here or where we came from?"

There was a couple of more beeps, and this time the chair turned around to face them. He was a mid-sized figure, and he seemed to be just a head taller than Featherdancer. However, he had a hunch back, and he had most of his body covered in a thin sheet of metal that seemed to act as a cloak. He also seemed to be wearing a mask as his mouth didn't move when he spoke.

"I am glad you are all finally awake. As Loader has already told you, I'm sure, my name is Jury-rig. Like all of you, I'm certain, I too awoke with no knowledge save for my name. Or, at least, that is what it was like at first."

He gestured to the screen and a flat keyboard.

"For some bizarre reason, I knew how to operate this apparatus, even though I'm certain that it is the first time that I have ever laid optics on it. I was even more shocked to find that we had power for the thing given the damage both inside and outside. However, I think we will find all the answers to our questions right here."

He looked to the screen again.

"We are all here, sir. Would you be so kind as to fill us in now?"

The screen fizzled for a moment, and then the image began to become clear. It revealed the face of an elderly looking being, his skin possessing the same metallic make up as the rest of them. He also seemed to possess a beard, only adding to his aged appearance. The image made a sweeping motion, as though looking them over, and then he smiled.

"Praises be to Primus, you are all safe! It does my spark good to see that. But I digress. Hello to you all, and my name is Alpha Trion."

Sureshot stared at the screen quizzically, and a strange sense of familiarity tickled at the back of his mind.

"I feel like…I know you. Are you our father?"

The image of Alpha Trion's face contorted as though he were thinking very hard, and then it made a motion like it was nodding.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I suppose you could consider me such, seeing as how I hope to raise you all and help you understand life. However, if it is the same to all of you, I would prefer it if you just called me Alpha Trion."

"Oh." Sureshot said, finding the suggestion fair.

"In that case, my name is Sureshot."

"And I'm Loader." the larger bot said while waving a hand in the air.

"My name is Featherdancer. Pleased to meet you." said the femme, whom squeezed up a large smile.

"And I'm Switchblade!" the last of the group said angrily as he pushed himself to the front.

"Maybe now you can clear something up for us! Where the heck are we and why is it the only thing we know about ourselves is our names? Or, perhaps a better question would be this. What gives you the right to tell us what to do?"

Alpha Trion fell silent for a moment, though his digital expression revealed an ounce of intrigue from the outburst rather than irritation.

"My, my. You are certainly the outspoken one. A very spirited individual indeed. I merely ask that you be patient, and I shall answer all your questions. Gather round, children."

The group looked among themselves, and then they moved in and took a seat in front of the screen. Alpha Trion waited for them to settle and then cleared his throat. His face vanished from the screen, and the image of a metallic planet appeared on the monitor.

"This is Cybertron." Alpha Trion said.

"For a time, it was my home, and the place where you all were born. For countless eons, we lived peacefully, but secluded from other worlds. The cause of our peace came in the form of the primes, the wise and benevolent leaders chosen by our creator, Primus."

The image shifted to a diagram of what appeared to be a cybertronian shrouded in a bright light with several smaller figures bowing to it.

"Primus ordained that the primes would carry out his will through the Matrix of Leadership, an artifact that contained the wisdom of both Primus and his chosen. I was once a steward under one of the later bearers: Solas Prime of the Forge. He was formerly a metal smith, you see. Oh, the marvelous days I spent learning under him! He was always so ready to share what the Matrix withheld with those that asked, and I must say that I had quite a few questions. Why I remember this one time…"

"Uh, Alpha Trion," Sureshot cut in.

"I hate to interrupt, but would you mind skipping to the part as to how we got here?"

Alpha Trion chuckled bashfully.

"Oh, terribly sorry. I tend to ramble when the pursuit of knowledge is involved. But to get back at the matter at hand, our coming here was a result of a war that had lasted for countless eons between the autobots and the decepticons. After countless battles and the deaths of several cybertronians, our planet was soon depleted of all of its energon, a substance that our kind. However, I had discovered the lot of you, and I knew I had to do something. Thus, I had gone to our current Prime, Zeta Prime, for a means to escape our planet so that you would all be raised in a safe environment."

"So he gave you this ship, right?" Jury-rig asked.

"No." Alpha Trion said curtly.

"As a matter of fact, he had tried to have me arrested, claiming me to be a traitor. It was only thanks to the heroic sacrifice of my former student, Orion Pax, that I was able to escape. However, I too had to make sacrifices."

A light lit up in the corner, and the group looked to see the rusty remains of a cybertronian, and its face greatly resembled that of their host.

"I had suffered severe wounds at the hands of my pursuer." Alpha Trion continued.

"And thus, the only way that I could survive was to upload my mind and spark into what remains of this old freighter. Before that, however, I had managed to transfer what little energon that was stored on this ship into your stasis pods, and that's how you were able to awaken. I had also uploaded into your processors the concept of basic speech, as I figured it would be difficult to teach you such things in my current condition."

"And our names?" Switchblade asked.

"Those you already had." Alpha Trion answered.

"It's the same when all cybertronians are born. We all were born with names, but none of us ever truly learned why. My opinion is that through Vector Sigma, the well-spring from which protoforms like you were born, Primus gave us all names and purposes. It is merely up to us to discover what they are."

When he had finished, the young cybertronians looked among themselves with wonder. They were all astonished, but at the same time none of them could really deny it. After a long moment of silence, it was Switchblade again that spoke.

"There's one more thing that bugs me." he said.

"If the reason we left cybertron was because this energon junk that was so important had ran out, then aren't we dead either way? I mean, what if there's no energon wherever the heck this place is?"

The image of Alpha Trion smiled.

"I'm so glad you asked that, Switchblade. During my time under Solas Prime, I learned that Prima, another of the old primes, had sent out some of her subjects to explore the regions of space. To her surprise, there were several planets outside of our own that had been seeded with energon. She cataloged these planets in a special starmap which I had memorized. However, these worlds already possessed primitive life upon them, and Prima did not wish to interfere in their lives. Thus the explorations were halted, but map had remained. I detected that this particular planet was rich with energon, and I had set the autopilot to take us here. Hence why I've brought the six of you to this planet, where I know that you will not only live but thrive as well."

Sureshot suddenly hunched his brows, and he did a quick head count of those around him. He frowned.

"Are you including yourself, Alpha Trion? Because, I only count five here minus yourself."

Alpha Trion's eyes grew wide with alarm, and he too did a quick head count. To his horror, he found that Sureshot was indeed right. There was only five of them.

"But that's simply not possible!" he exclaimed in exasperation.

"There were six of you! I know, because I and Orion loaded them into the cargo bay. Where is the sixth?"

"There is a gaping hole in the place where we woke up." Featherdancer said.

"When we were all knocked around in the fall, maybe their pod fell through the hole."

"We must find it!" Alpha Trion said urgently.

"If the protoform awakens, it will undoubtable be confused, and easily loose its way."

"I'll go look." Sureshot said as he jumped to his feet.

"Count us in too." said Switchblade and Loader in unison.

The three mechs immediately rushed to the cargo area and out of the hole. Switchblade was the first to note the destruction their vessel had caused when they had landed, and he whistled in spite of himself. Sureshot merely ignored the scene and immediately got to work. Willing his eyes to do as they had done earlier, he scanned the surrounding area for any sign of the pod or perhaps the protoform that had been inside it. He noticed that the place where the ship now rested was the base of a mountain, and he noticed that there was a small slope down from his current position. It wasn't steep at all, but there was enough of an incline for something to roll down. He magnified his vision, and his eyes lit up when he spied something wedged between two trees at the bottom of the hill. He called to his comrades, and they raced down to inspect it. To Surshot's relief, it was indeed the missing stasis pod. Unfortunately, it had clearly opened, and there were footprints leading away from the ship and deeper into the surrounding forest. Switchblade walked over to his side. He placed a hand over his eyes and looked about.

"Its no use." he said with a grunt.

"Whoever was in that pod is long gone."

"We can't just give up." Loader said urgently.

"If the three of us split up and spread out, maybe we can…"

"Switchblade's right, Loader." Surshot said, cutting him off.

"Besides, its looks like this planets solar cycle is drawing to a close, and we won't be able to find them in the dark. Our best bet would be to wait till the start of the next cycle and make a plan."

Loader sighed, but he nodded his acceptance. The trio slowly made their way back to the ship, all of them feeling dejected. As he made his way towards the makeshift entrance into the ship, he gave one last look into the forest. It was silent; he couldn't even hear the local wildlife. He vented a deep sigh, and he made his way inside. Survival: day one.


End file.
